Garment keeper



J1me 1.958 A, K. MANNING ETAL 7,748

GARMEN'F KEEPER Filed Jan. 23, 1956 ANNA KATHLEEN MANNING l RUSSELL L- MANN/N6,

' ]NVENTORS.

A 7' TORNEK GARMENT KEEPER 1 Anna K. Manning and Russell L. Manning,

Gardens, Calif.

Q Application January 23, 1956, Serial No. 560,699

" Claims. c1. 2-309 This invention relates to a device to serve as a garment keeper for taking up slack in an encircling part of a garment.

The keeper device comprises an elongated tension member of rubber-like material which may be in the form of a short and relatively thin strap. Each end of the strap is equipped with, an encasing clasp and the two clasps are provided with suitable fabric-engaging means for releasable anchorage to exposed portions of an encircling part of a garment to draw said portions towards each other.

The keeper device may be used, for example, inside the waist band of a garment such as a skirt or a pair of trousers or other encircling garment. With the elastic strap stretched beyond its unstressed length, the anchorage means at the opposite ends are engaged with circumferentially spaced portions of the inside of the waist band and the strap then acts under tension to take up slack in the waist band. In this manner, the keeper device makes the encircling garment fit snugly and keeps the garment from slipping downward. w An important, and often the most important purpose of the keeper device, is to keep a second upper garment from slipping out from under the waist band that is engaged by the device. Thus the keeper device may keep a blouse from pulling out from under the waist band of a skirt or, in like manner, may serve the same purpose in keeping a shirt inside the waist band of a pair of trousers. This purpose is served not only by the taking up of the slack in the waistband, but also by the frictional engagement of the tension band with the fabric of the upper garment. Preferably, the face of the tension band that is turned towards the upper garment is provided with a broken surface or with numerous protuberances for intimate frictional contact with the upper garment.

A primary feature of the invention is the manner in which it meets a certain problem in the practical application of such a keeper device. This problem is the tendency of the bodily movements of the wearer to cause the anchorage means of the device to become disengaged from the fabric of the waist band. To counteract this tendency the anchorage means at the opposite ends of the tension band may be safety pins, for example, but such a solution is not satisfactory since it requires bothersome manipulation of the safety pins by the wearer. It is preferable to use hooks or barbs that may be engaged with the fabric of the waistband with the utmost simplicity.

The invention meets this problem by using hooks'at the opposite ends of the waist band and by providing resilient bosses for cooperation with the hooks. Thus a portion of the fabric of a waist band that is engaged by a hook is held against the hook by frictional contact on the part of the corresponding resilient boss. As will'be explained, a feature of the preferred practice of the invention is the manner in which the clasps that carry the hooks at the opposite ends of the tension band compress the elastic material of the band to cause the re- A ice 2 quired resilient bosses to be formed by outward bulge of the material of the band. The various featuresand advantages of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawing; In the drawing, which is to be regarded as merelyillus trative: J Figure 1 is a fragmentaryv perspective view of the upper portion of a skirt showing how a peeper device of the present invention'may be removably installed in the ,waist band of the skirt;

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged perspective view of one 7 end of the garment member showing the construction of the clasp thereon; p

Figure 3 is a plan view of the keeper device;

Figure 4 is an enlargedtransverse section alo'ngithe line 4-4 of Figure 3. r v

Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section along the line 5-5 of Figure 3 showing how the hook at one end of the keeper device cooperates with the corresponding resilient boss in engaging the material of the waist band; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view similar to Figure 2 showing the opposite face of the clasp.

Figure 1 shows, by way of example, a skirt" 10 having an inner waistband12. Inside the waist band 12 is mounted a keeper generally designated by the letter K, which embodies thepresently preferred practice of the invention. 7

Thekeeper comprises an elongated member in the form of an" elastic strap 14 of rubber-like material, the opposite ends of the strap being equipped with suitable clasps 15. Each of the clasps 15 is provided with at least one hook 16 for engagement with the fabric of, the

waist band12 and abulging portion of the rubber-like material of the strap 14 is positioned inside each of these hooks for cooperation therewith. t

In the present embodiment of the invention, each of the clasps 15 comprises a sheet metal member that lies against one face'of the strap andhas a pair of opposite wings 18 bent over to encase the strap end. As shown in Figures 3 and 6 the opposed edges 20 of the two wings 18 form a gap in which a portion of the strap 14 is exposed. The two wings 18 compress the material of the strap and thereby cause the exposed portion of the rubber-like material in the gap to form an outward bulge or boss 22.

The hook 16, which is preferably an integral portion of the sheet metal clasp 15 overlies the resilient boss 22. Preferably, as best shown in Figure 5, the end 24 of the hook is offset outward to facilitate engagement with the fabric of the waist band 12 and an intermediate portion 25 of the hook extends in close proximity to the resilient boss 22.

The two hooks 16 both lie along one face of the strap 14 and preferably the opposite face of the strap has a surface of broken configuration for frictional engagement with the upper garment, which garment may be, for example, a blouse or shirt that is tucked insidethe waist band 12. In the present embodiment of the invention, the second face of the strap 14 is provided with numerous spaced protuberances 26 for this purpose.

ment with the fabric of the waist band and then the.

other hook is manipulated into engagement with the waist band at a distance circumferentially from the first engaged portion to cause the keeper to take up the slack in the waist band to the desired degree. If the keeper is installed in the waist band before the user puts on the encircling garment, it is not necessary to place the keeper band under tension when the second hook is engaged. If the keeper device is installed while the encircling garment is being worn, however, it is necessary to place the keeper band under appropriate tension'in engaging the second hook with the waist band. i

The outwardly offset end portion 24 of each of the hooks 16 facilitates ready engagement of the hook with the fabric of the waist band of the encircling garment and thus simplifies the task of installing the device. The intermediate portion 25 of each hook extends closely adjac'ent the conesponding'resilient boss, 22 so that the material of the waist band that is engaged by the hook is compressed between'the hook and the resilient boss. Suchcorn'pre ssion of the fabric by the hook'and cooperating resilient boss results in highly effective frictional engagement with the fabric and thus prevents inadvertant disengagement of the hook while the device is being worn.

Our description in. specific detail of the preferred embodiment of the invention will suggest various changes, substitutions and other departures from our disclosure that properly lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a device to take up the slack in an encircling part of a garment, the combination ofza' strap of rubber-like material; a clasp on each end of the strap, each of said clasps comprising a piece of sheet metal lying against one side of the strap with two opposite wings of the sheet metal folded to e'ncase' the strap, the edges of the folded wings being spaced apart to expose a portion of the strap therebetween, said wings compressing the rubber-like'material of the strap to cause said exposed portion to form a resilient elongated bulge extending longitudinally of said strap; and a. hook on each of said clasps extending longitudinally of the strap and inwardly of the outer end of the clasp in close proximity to said resilient bulge to cooperate therewith for engaging said encircling part of the garment, the longitudinal axes of said bulge and book being substantially coplanar.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which each of said hooks has an end portion offset away. from said strap 4 an intermediate portion closely adjacent the corresponding resilient bulge of the strap.

3. In a device to take up slack in an encircling part of a garment, the combination of: an elongated tension member of rubber-like material; two clasps embracing the opposite ends, respectively, of said tension member, each of said clasps having spaced edges forming a gap with a portion of the rubber-like material of the tension member exposed across the gap, said clasps compressing the tension member'to cause said exposed portions thereof to form outward resilient elongated bulges extending longitudinally of the member; and hooks on said clasps directed longitudinally of the member and inwardly of the ends thereof and overhanging the corresponding resilient bulges to cooperate therewith for engaging spaced portions of said eneirclingpart of the garment to draw said garment portions towards each other, the longitudinal axes of said buiges and hooks being substantially c0- planar. I v 4. In a device to take up slack in an encircling part of a garment, the combination of: an elongated tension member of resilient rubber-like material; a clasp at each end or" said tension member; and at least one hook on each of said clasps, and extending longitudinally of the member for engagement with a portion of said garment, said rubber-like material of said tension member at each end of the tension member having a lateral bulge elongated along the axes of said member and directed towards the inner side of the corresponding hook and substantially coplanar therewith to cooperate with the hook for engagement with said encircling part of the garment.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 in which said tension member is a band of rubber-like material and at least one face of said band is formed with numerous protrusions for frictional engagement with fabric adjacent the band, said hooks being on the other face of the band.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,268,075 Glynn May 28, 1918 1,331,457 Elliott Feb. 17, 1920 1,638,091 Cummings Aug. 16, 1927 2,237,122 Andrews Apr. 1, 1941 2,562,386 McCormick July 31, 1951 

